UT System bets on merger, partnerships to drive medical innovation

This article originally appeared on Becker's Hospital Review website on February 21, 2025.

The University of Texas System, one of the nation's largest public university systems, with 14 academic and health institutions, is eyeing several critical priorities in 2025, including integration efforts and addressing physician shortages in the state. According to Chancellor J.B. Milliken, all of these initiatives aim to advance medical research and innovation.

Among the system's priorities is the integration of University of Texas at San Antonio and UT Health San Antonio, which is expected to be completed in 2025. 

By merging the institutions into a global academic research and medical center, the system aims to develop strategies and implement cross-disciplinary programs.

"If you look at the disciplines … that exist at these great academic research universities, there are only, I think, advantages to developing close partnerships, interdisciplinary programs, and especially research programs overlapping medicine and other health science disciplines with those traditionally academic university disciplines," Mr. Milliken told Becker's.

"So that's the No. 1 goal in combining these two institutions — to take advantage of the richness of the disciplines at both. And we think it will significantly advance the opportunities for medical and health-related research, drug development and treatment."

Once the newly merged university opens in August, it will be the third-largest research university in Texas, which Mr. Milliken views as a competitive advantage for attracting faculty talent and growing the student population.

Outside of San Antonio, other system initiatives aim to expand research capabilities and healthcare innovation. Mr. Milliken specifically pointed to a collaboration  between Houston-based UT MD Anderson Cancer Center and University of Texas in Austin.

The collaboration combines UT Austin's computational expertise with MD Anderson's data on cancer patients and treatment, via a joint location in Austin.

To support these and other initiatives, the system looks to grow its physician workforce.

In the past 10 years, the system has opened three new medical schools, most recently in Tyler, Texas. Today, about two-thirds of the system's $31 billion systemwide budget is related to health operations, either at independent, freestanding healthcare institutions or at institutions such as UT Austin, Rio Grande Valley and Tyler — and soon in San Antonio — where academic and health operations are combined.

"Seventy percent of that budget is dedicated toward healthcare and health professionals' training," Mr. Milliken said. "[There are] seven medical schools now within the UT System. So we're trying to make a real dent in the shortage of physicians across Texas, which exists in many, many counties."

The system is also expanding healthcare access and investing in partnerships.

For example, Children's Health and UT Southwestern Medical Center, both based in Dallas, broke ground in the fall on a $5 billion pediatric campus. The organizations initially announced their plans for the project in February 2024, citing a need to meet growing demand for pediatric care, research and training. Once complete, the campus will be one of the nation's largest pediatric hospitals.

Mr. Milliken said another initiative he is excited about is a joint program with the military, the Trauma Research and Combat Casualty Care Collaborative.

The initiative "has a huge amount of importance to the military in addressing trauma issues and how to extend lives and deal with injuries on the battlefield," he said. "But unintentional traumatic injuries are the top cause of death for people under 44 years in the country. So there's also enormous civilian implications.

"So that's a priority that we've been working on for the last couple of years, and we're seeing continued success and support from the military, from the Texas Legislature and from our board of regents."

While addressing healthcare access, the system is focused on addressing mental health shortages.

Mr. Milliken pointed to the Texas Child Mental Health Care Consortium, which was established by the Texas Legislature and is administered by the University of Texas System, as an initiative he is watching this year.

"It is a group of partners — our healthcare institutions in the UT System, but also others throughout the state of Texas — addressing a critical need because 88% of Texans live in counties where there aren't enough mental health providers," Mr. Milliken said.

"And so this is a way to try to grow access to the workforce, child psychiatry, and part of offering mental health services through telemedicine."